


c i n n a m o n

by pinqaliqo



Series: the dungeon [6]
Category: Big Bang (Band)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-06-06 12:18:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15194639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinqaliqo/pseuds/pinqaliqo
Summary: a series of ybb x ygbb vignettes





	1. little black dress

“I haven’t seen much of you lately, unni,” Jooeun sighed softly as she toyed with the straw of her drink. Beside her, Jihyun glanced at her as she sipped her own drink. The two young women were currently walking around the mall doing some shopping, something they haven’t been able to do together for a while. “Now that you’re with Seunghyun, there hasn’t been much of Jihyun and Jooeun time.”

 

“You have Youngbae!” Jihyun reasoned once she pulled her drink away from her mouth.

 

“But you’re all I’m thinking of,” she replied with a sly expression on her face. After laughing it off, she asked, “How’s Seunghyun hyoung, anyway? Is he being gentle?”

 

This earned her a soft shove from Jihyun as they slipped into another clothing store. “Just help me pick something out for Sunae’s party.”

 

Their laughter ensued while across the mall, three young men entered with a flustered young woman leading them in. On their faces were the looks of indifference, fear, and guilt. Jiyong rolled his eyes with indifference, Seunghyun cringed with fear, and Youngbae stared at his feet with guilt.

 

“I asked you guys this one favor and you put it off for weeks,” the young woman puffed. “This party is really important. Seungri and Daesung already have their suits ready.”

 

“But Sunae, Jihyun and Jooeun are here shopping for their dresses today…” Seunghyun dared to speak up, earning a hard stare from the fired up woman.

 

“At least I don’t have to force them to go shopping!” she countered before turning on her heel. “Now come on, I still have a lot of things to prepare for the party.”

 

Obediently, the trio trailed after her. She led them to at least three different stores on three completely different floors in the mall and still, there was nothing that seemed to satisfy what she had in mind for the boys. While they were growing tired, Sunae still had a lot of energy to burn.

 

“Hey, Jooeun, it’s Sunae. You’re with Jihyun right?” she questioned into the receiver of her cell phone while they waited for the escalator to take them to the fourth floor of the mall. “You’re in Royal Boutique right now? Did you get your dresses? OK, I’ll meet up with you there.”

 

And with a groan coming from Seunghyun, Jiyong, and Youngbae, they got off the escalator on the fourth floor and stepped onto another to head back down. The Royal Boutique that Jooeun had mentioned on the phone was on the first floor.

 

“So she’s coming to meet us?” Jihyun questioned from the inside of the fitting room. Hearing a soft grunt of approval from Jooeun, she sighed with relief. “Good. Now I can get Sunae unni’s approval on this dress. I think it looks a bit trashy.”

 

“The dress is fine, unni,” Jooeun said, knocking on the door of her fitting room. “Come on out so Jooeun can see that fly mama.”

 

Although hesitant at first, Jihyun gave herself one last look in the mirror before stepping out from her confinement. She looked at her friend with knotted eyebrows, waiting for the girl’s reaction and made a quick attempt to run back into the fitting room when she began to laugh.

 

“Wait!” Jooeun cried through her laughter, grabbing her by the elbow. “I told you, the dress looks _great_ on you. I was just wondering what would happen to Seunghyun hyoung if he saw you in it.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“Definitely,” Jooeun nodded. “Now we have to wait for unni’s approval.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Sunae, are you sure they’re here?” Youngbae asked the moment they entered Royal Boutique. “I don’t think I see them.”

 

Sunae quickly rushed passed them and engulfed herself in the dresses and skirts hanging off the racks. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Youngbae. They could be in the dressing room.”

 

“Hey, Youngbae, I think I see Jooeun,” Jiyong pointed. When his friend turned to look at the direction he had pointed at, he quickly doubled over in laughter. “You’re so fucking gullible man. That’s too cute.”

 

Youngbae frowned. Then he punched Jiyong.

 

“Ow.”

 

Another punch came from Sunae’s direction.

 

“Don’t play with Youngbae like that, you ass,” she said before turning her attention back to the clothes she sifted through. Jiyong made an attempt to walk away and sulk after that, but Seunghyun stepped in and punched him as well.

 

“What the hell was that for?” Jiyong growled, taking a step away from the taller man.

 

“I don’t know. I didn’t want to be left out,” he shrugged. “It looked fun, too.”

 

Jiyong shot him one last look before turning this way and that through the maze of clothing and accessories in the store. Although the clothes were clearly labeled as “Women’s,” he couldn’t help himself from looking through what the store had to offer. As he picked through them, he imagined how Sunae would look in them. He didn’t forget to imagine how they looked on his floor when she threw them aside. That certainly left a smirk on his face.

 

The smirk on his face grew when he saw two young women taking pictures of themselves near the entrance of the fitting room. He slowly approached them, his eyes taking in their figures, the way they dressed, the way they moved and laughed. One was dressed in a little black dress that revealed too much skin—although he wasn’t complaining—and the other was dressed in a slim graphic tee and skinny jeans.

 

“What are fly little ladies like you doing at the mall by your lonesome?” he cooed as he slipped in between them and placed his hands on their hips. He looked at them one by one and slowly began to regret it.

 

“Oh. My. God,” the girl dressed in casual clothing gagged. “I can’t believe this.”

 

“You’re kidding me, right Jiyong?” the girl in the little black dress choked.

 

Immediately, he retracted. It was Jooeun and Jihyun. He couldn’t help but feel just as revolted as they were.

 

“Hey, Sunae, you’re right! They _were_ near the fitting rooms!” Seunghyun informed the woman. He appeared beside the trio with Youngbae in tow and witnessed the two girls punching Jiyong in the arm.

 

“Shit, shit,” Jiyong hissed as he hugged himself in response. “If I knew it was you guys, I wouldn’t have done it!”

 

“You’re such a pig!” the girls cried out in unison before running to their respective boyfriends.

 

“What happened?” Seunghyun asked with an amused look on his face. Suddenly, with one burst of laughter, the subject changed.

 

“What happened to _you_ , hyoung?” Jooeun snickered, finding the older man donning a new hair color and a fading tan. When the older man frowned at her, she buried her head into Youngbae’s shoulder to stifle her exploding laughter.

 

“Jihyun happened,” Jiyong snorted, earning another punch from the said girl.

 

“Did you guys get your dresses yet?” Sunae interrupted when she finally stumbled upon the group outside the fitting rooms. She glanced at the two younger girls and smiled when she saw Jihyun fitted in the black dress. “You should definitely get that, Jihyun. What do you think Seunghyun?”

 

Before the man could answer, Jihyun shook her head. “This dress can do funny things. Jiyong even went up to us and hit on us while I was wearing it,” she frowned and shivered.

 

“Jiyong!”

 

“I didn’t mean to!” he cried, flinching one more time as he expected one more fist flying in his direction. It didn’t come from Sunae like he expected but from Seunghyun.

 

“That one wasn’t just for fun that time, man,” he said.

 

“Jiyong’s an ass,” Sunae contemplated. “Just go change and buy that dress Jihyun.”

 

“Let’s go fly mama,” Jooeun chuckled as she shooed the older woman back into the fitting room. Seunghyun and Youngbae followed, leaving Jiyong and Sunae waiting outside.

 

The two remained silent as they waited, Sunae sending Jiyong cold stares and Jiyong looking at everything else around him but Sunae. As those seconds flew by, he finally gathered the courage to look at Sunae with a smirk while lifting a dress that was similar to what Jihyun wore.

 

“Why don’t you go try it on?” he asked.

 

And just as he expected, she punched him.

 

“You ass.”


	2. chocolate chip cookies

For the longest time, in Hwang Jooeun’s family, baking cookies was a form of apology. If their family ever got into a fight with a neighbor over a small mishap, the next day, they would go next door with a plate of chocolate chip cookies. If the children were ever a burden to their parents, the next morning, they would wake up to the sweet smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. If Jooeun ever upset her siblings, that next minute, a new batch of chocolate chip cookies would be coming out of the oven.

 

For the longest time, in Hwang Jooeun’s family, baking cookies was their way of saying, “I’m truly, deeply, sorry.”

 

Cookies were also the only things that Jooeun could bake without setting her house on fire.

 

She carried a box of her homemade cookies that day on her way to the library. She was meeting Youngbae there after a few days of finding herself busy with family matters and in the process, she had failed to call him. She was afraid that she had worried him, but when she finally did call him, he didn’t mention it at all. Still, she regretted neglecting him.

 

“Oh, I love the dark side. They’ve got cookies,” Jiyong growled hungrily the moment he saw Jooeun coming towards them in the library. Beside him, Youngbae glanced at her apologetically.

 

“Hyung totaled my car last time,” he elaborated. “I needed a ride.”

 

Nodding, Jooeun took a seat across from the two and then shot a look at Jiyong.

 

“How’d you know these were cookies?” she asked.

 

“You gave some to me in a box, too,” he answered.

  
“Why would I do that?” she asked once again.

 

Jiyong shrugged and grinned at her then turned his attention to a device he held in his hands.

 

Jooeun looked at him disapprovingly before returning her own attention back to Youngbae. “Anyway, these are for you,” she declared, pushing the box she carried towards him.

 

“What are they for?” Youngbae questioned, taking the box into his hands. He had never received a box of cookies from Jooeun before and hearing that Jiyong had, he was confused.

 

“Oh, uh, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for not calling the past couple of days,” she admitted sincerely. When she caught Jiyong making disgusted faces, she pointed at him and said, “You can’t share with him, OK?”

 

“That’s totally unfair,” Jiyong pouted. He gripped the device in his hand tightly before shaking it at Jooeun in a scrutinizing manner. “I think it’s Youngbae’s choice whether he shares a cookie with his best friend or not.”

 

“Hey, what’s that?” Jooeun questioned, obviously taking interest in the device he held in his possession.

 

“This? This is Sunae’s personal digital assistant, her PDA,” he answered haughtily. “Do you want to see it?”

 

“What does it do?” Jooeun continued to inquire, shifting her glance from Jiyong to Youngbae then to Jiyong again.

 

“If Youngbae gives me a cookie, I’ll let you find out for yourself,” Jiyong compromised.

 

Youngbae sighed and opened the box in front of him, revealing the cookies that Jooeun had baked the night before. Without an argument from the girl, he pulled one cookie out and tossed it to Jiyong. Jiyong then tossed the PDA to Jooeun, who barely reacted fast enough to catch it.

 

“Be careful with that. Sunae might get mad if you break it,” Jiyong warned her as he watched her place it on the table securely. With the cookie in one hand, he reached over and pulled out a pen-like object and handed it to her. “Use the stylus to get around.”

 

“What the hell is a ‘Dragon Dance?’” Jooeun laughed, amused by what she found on Sunae’s agenda. She looked up at Jiyong, intrigued by the use of the term “dragon” and smirked. “It must be a lame performance. I don’t think unni would enjoy that every night.”

 

“Hey. You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jiyong argued through the cookie in his mouth. “She screams for more every night.”

 

“Deleted,” she squeaked the moment the PDA rang shortly. As she continued to look through the contents of the gadget, she pulled her lips into a thin line and said, “Haven’t you heard of ‘pretending?’ She just doesn’t want to bruise your ego or something.”

 

Youngbae chuckled at Jiyong who became speechless. Instead of continuing their conversation, Jiyong reached over to the box and pulled out another cookie when Jooeun wasn’t looking. The owner raised an intrigued eyebrow at him and only turned away when his girlfriend cursed under her breath.

 

“Uh, shit, I have to go,” she decided at once, shooting up from her seat and clutching the PDA to her chest. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow, OK?”

 

And just like that, she disappeared. Youngbae and Jiyong exchanged confused looks with one another before Jiyong let out a cry of despair.

 

“She left with Sunae’s PDA!”

 

* * *

 

“Jiyong, how many times have I told you not to touch my stuff without my permission?” Sunae scowled, poking the man on the side of his head several times. She then placed her hands on her hips and blew air into her cheeks. “Really, sometimes I feel like I’m taking care of an eight-year-old.”

 

“I told you I’d get you a new one,” he said with a soft whine. When the look on her face remained, he threw his head into his hands.

 

“You _better_ get me a new one,” she huffed. “And this time, don’t even think of touching it.”

 

Letting a disgruntled sigh out as she left the living room, he stood up from the couch and made his way towards the front door at the sound of knocking. The knocking failed to stop until he pulled it open and came face to face with Jooeun. And two boxes which he could only assume to hold cookies. When he cocked his head to the side, she smiled weakly and pulled out a familiar looking device.

 

“Who’s at the door, Jiyong?” Sunae asked as she trudged down the hallway. Seeing Jooeun in the doorway holding her PDA, she rushed forward and retrieved her lost item. “Hey, you found my PDA! You’re lucky she found it Jiyong. Now you don’t have to buy me a new one.”

 

Jiyong scoffed and pried a box from Jooeun’s possession and retreated back into the living room.

 

“Actually, unni,” Jooeun squeaked lowly. “I actually… Kind of broke it the other day.”

 

“What?”

 

“But don’t worry! I fixed it!” she exclaimed, digging in her pockets again. “Here’s the stylus! And, here’s a box of cookies. I’m really sorry!”

 

Sunae glanced at the items in her possession with uncertainty.

 

“Jooeun…”

 

“Here! I’ll lend you Youngbae too!” Jooeun added, pulling the mentioned boy out of nowhere. “I’m really sorry I caused you and Jiyong trouble! Bye!”

 

Then she pulled one of her disappearing acts, leaving Youngbae and Sunae in an awkward position. To break the ice, Youngbae pointed at the box and smiled.

 

“They’re triple chocolate chip cookies?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol who remembers PDAs


	3. speedos

“So, how about it, Youngbae?” Jiyong asked as he leaned over the kitchen table with his forefinger tapping his chin. “Jooeun’s going to be here this time around.”

 

“If you put it that way, no,” the older man repeated once again.

 

Seunghyun pulled out a carton of ice-cream from the refrigerator and took a seat with Youngbae and Jiyong on the kitchen table. As he opened the carton in his hands, he shook his head.

 

“You might as well, Youngbae,” he said. “Jihyun wants to go and that means she’s going to bring Sunae and Jooeun along. That just means everyone’s going to be here.”

 

“But last time…”

 

“Hey, that hurts me as much as it hurts you, Youngbae,” Jiyong frowned. “I still can’t believe Sunae wouldn’t get one for me. I would’ve jumped right into it unlike you.”

 

“Yeah, Daesung had no problem with it,” Seunghyun laughed.

 

“Come on, Youngbae. I think it’s unfair that Sunae and Jihyun got to see you in it while Jooeun was left out,” Jiyong reasoned. “It’s just not right.”

 

“What do you think her reaction is going to be?” Youngbae asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow at him.

 

Jiyong pulled back and clasped his hands together. “She’ll scream with delight!”

  
  


“Fucking Jiyong!” Jihyun cried as she fell off of Seunghyun’s shoulders and into the pool. Across from them, Jooeun laughed on Sunae’s shoulders.

 

“Aren’t you glad you didn’t miss out this time?” Sunae asked, ignoring Jihyun as she swam off after her boyfriend. She kept her focus on Jooeun as she slipped off of her shoulders cautiously and jumped back into the pool.

 

“I’m glad I don’t have a doctor’s appointment this time,” Jooeun replied as she stroked to the edge of the pool. Then she turned around and frowned at Seunghyun. “Where are Daesung and Youngbae? You said they were going to be here.”

 

Just then, the cry of a familiar young man caught her attention and when she looked up, she saw Daesung’s body jumping into the pool. A huge splash overwhelmed the pool and its occupants, soon raising laughter among the group. When Daesung pulled out of the pool and stood up to pose, Jooeun threw her head back.

 

“Unni! You actually bought him Speedos?” she questioned the older woman in her amusement.

 

“That’s what you missed last time,” Sunae grinned.

 

“Hey, Jooeun, she got one for Youngbae too,” Seungri shouted heartily as he swam by on his back.

 

“What?”

 

At that moment, Youngbae made his entrance as well. To her surprise, he wore nothing but a nervous smile. And a pair of Speedos similar to Daesung’s. He looked to Jiyong who flashed him two thumbs up, then turned his head at the sound of a scream.

 

“Unni!” Jooeun frowned as she turned away from where Youngbae stood. With a hiss, she asked, “Why would you do that?”

 

“I couldn’t help it! Can’t you see what I’m working with?” Sunae shot back desperately. She glanced quickly at Jiyong. “He’s like hopeless.”

 

Giving the older woman an understanding nod, Jooeun looked over her shoulder and pursed her lips.

 

“Nice Speedos, Youngbae.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh i don't remember which parts exactly are what i wrote LOL OOPS OH WELL


	4. no one

Seunghyun had Jihyun. Youngbae had Jooeun. Jiyong had Sunny. They all had their girlfriends, but who did he have? He didn’t have anyone. Seungri didn’t have anyone but Daesung, his best friend.

 

* * *

 

“Hey, Seungri, I thought Daesung was coming over? “ Jihyun asked when she stumbled upon her brother playing video games by himself in his room.

 

“His dad made him help their new neighbors move in,” Seungri replied without averting his gaze from his television screen. “That scary agassi that used to live next door to him finally got married and moved out.”

 

“So you’re going to stay here and play video games while your friend’s working his ass off?” his sister scoffed. Catching the scowl displayed on his face, Jihyun sighed. “He’s always been there to support you and now that he needs your help, you just sit there and play video games.”

 

He paused his game and glanced back at her.

 

“I want to play Cooking Mama so you might as well go to his place,” she admitted.

 

It was Seungri’s turn to sigh. He tossed the game controller to Jihyun and jumped to his feet. Pulling a jacked out of his closet and walking out, he mumbled over his shoulder, “Keep your hands off my stuff, OK?”

 

“Just leave,” Jihyun grumbled in annoyance.

 

* * *

 

When Seungri arrived at Daesung’s home and knocked on his front door, his friend’s older sister answered the door. She told him that although their neighbors had already finished settling in, Daesung was still next door and for what, she didn’t know.

 

“Thanks, Bora noona,” Seungri smiled before leaving their front door. His next destination then was the neighbor’s home. Fortunately for him, he saw his friend exiting at that moment. He was accompanied by a petite girl exchanging laughs with him.

 

“Ah, Seungri, what are you doing here?” Daesung questioned after spotting his friend.

 

“Well, I thought I could help you and your neighbors move in…” he explained. He examined the girl beside him warily. “You’re going to introduce us, right?”

 

Apprehensive, but smiling ardently, Daesung nodded. “Ah, Gwisoon, this is my friend Seungri. Seungri, this is our new neighbor’s daughter, Gwisoon.”

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Seungri. I appreciate your offer to help, but Daesung was more than enough help. We finished earlier than expected, thanks to him,” Gwisoon informed him.

 

“So we’ll be going now, OK? Take care, Gwisoon. Tell your parents I said thanks,” Daesung waved before grabbing his friend by the shoulders and walking off.

 

Seungri waved as well, constantly glancing back against the older boy’s will. Making it back to his front door, Daesung roughly pushed him inside, afraid that Gwisoon might catch him making unsightly expressions. Closing the door behind him, he frowned.

 

“What time did you guys finish with the unpacking?” Seungri questioned as he walked into the living room. He ignored Daesung’s frown.

 

“Around twelve,” the other boy admitted honestly.

 

“That was three hours ago!”

 

“Well, you know, Gwisoon,” Daesung grinned.

 

“What about her?”

 

“She’s really cute. She’s really nice,” he stated, his eyes sparkling.

 

That was it. Daesung was sprung. He didn’t blow off their plans for the day just because his dad gave him orders. He blew them off because the new girl next door had just so happened to capture his interest and perhaps, his heart? Seungri was a little heartbroken thinking about it. Seunghyun had Jihyun. Youngbae had Jooeun. Jiyong had Sunny. And now, Daesung had Gwisoon. Who would he have now!?

 

After briefly taking a seat on the couch, Seungri shot up from his seat.

 

“I guess I’ll leave now then since all the work is done,” he announced.

 

“We could go to the internet café like planned since you’re already here…?”

 

“That’s OK. I told Jihyun I’d come back when we’re done,” Seungri shook his head. “I’ll just see you tomorrow.”

 

* * *

 

“Hey, you’re back pretty early, Ri,” Jihyun pointed out when she turned away and watched her brother enter his room. “What happened?”

 

Dropping his limp body onto his bed, he let out a groan. “I don’t even have Daesung hyung anymore! I have no one~!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NALBWA NALBWA GWISOON


	5. twenty thousand

“I’ll give you twenty thousand if you do it.”

 

“Is twenty thousand going to save me from Jiyong?”

 

“Look, I know deep inside that you’ve thought about doing it before, so stop stalling. I’m helping you out,” Jooeun pressed, shaking the money in her hand furiously at him. “If you’re really worried about Jiyong, I’ll stand out here and look out for him.”

 

“What if she doesn’t want to? What if she gets mad?”

 

“Get creative. You’re her favorite so it shouldn’t be too hard,” she said.

 

There was no point in arguing anymore. Jooeun waved the money at him again and thoughts of it entering his pocket willed him to enter the classroom they were standing outside of. He soon spotted his target eating lunch with his sister, Jihyun, and her boyfriend, Seunghyun.

 

“Hi, noona~!” Seungri chimed as he sat next to Sunae. He gave Jihyun and Seunghyun a curt nod before turning to Sunae again and holding out a fist. “Nuna, let’s play rock, paper, scissors.”

 

Sunae was astounded but held out her hand anyway. “OK…”

 

One, two three, and Sunae threw out rock. Seungri, on the other hand, threw out paper and immediately, he wrapped his hand around her fist.

 

“I win!” he cried out victoriously as he pointed at his cheek with his free hand. “I get a kiss.”

 

Sunae giggled and pinched his cheek.

 

“A kiss on the cheek?” she asked, smiling at him with amusement as he nodded. “You’re so cute.”

 

“You mean appalling,” Jihyun gagged as she scowled at her brother while Seunghyun laughed.

 

Seungri stuck out his tongue at Jihyun before settling in his seat and closing his eyes. Sunae exchanged glances with her friends before leaning over towards him, pursing her lips. Just as her lips grazed his cheek, Seungri immediately turned his head and closed the distance between them with his own lips. 

 

“Yah, Seungri!” Jihyun and Seunghyun yelled in surprise, Seunghyun dying in laughter.

 

Just as Sunae jerked her head back at Seungri’s action, the sounds of desks clattering caught their attention.

 

“Yah, you brat! What do you think you’re doing?”

 

It was Jiyong.

 

Immediately, Seungri scrambled to his feet and with a satisfied grin on his face, he made his way towards the door at the back of the classroom. The route he had chosen to take was a bit risky, though, and soon enough, Jiyong was within an arm’s length.

 

“Jiyong, don’t hurt Seungri!” Sunae warned, watching the chase with distaste.

 

Jiyong scoffed. “I’ll  _ kill _ him!”

 

Foolishly, Seungri risked turning back and sticking his tongue out at Jiyong. At that moment, he saw the older boy’s hand shoot out and grasp for his polo. His heart raced and his mind convinced himself that Jiyong was really going to kill him, but catching Jooeun’s petite figure coming up behind Jiyong reassured him.

 

“Run, run, run, Seungri!” she cried, her voice shaken with laughter as she clamped her arms tightly around his hunter’s waist and pulled him back; Seungri quickly obeyed and darted out of the classroom.

 

Hilarity bubbled from the rest of the group as they watched Jiyong’s startled expression when Jooeun finally let go of him.

 

“Don’t follow us,” Jooeun stated firmly before zipping out of the classroom after Seungri.

 

“You said you were going to look out for Jiyong for me!” the boy exclaimed as soon as they met up again.

 

“I wouldn’t have been able to tackle him if I warned you about him,” Jooeun pouted playfully before pulling out two bills from her sleeve. “Here’s your twenty thousand.”

 

Seungri waved his hands.

 

“Just keep it. I’m fine.”

 

With a scoff, Jooeun slipped the money back into her pocket. To her amusement, Seungri was still smiling, still thinking of the kiss he had gotten from Sunae.

 

“I bet you are.”


	6. 언니들

“How long have they been gone?” Jooeun whined as she threw her body over her coffee table. Beside her, Daesung put his game controller down and leaned back against the sofa behind them.

 

“Jihyun and Seungri left for China just a week ago,” he said. Then he lifted his hand and counted to three with his fingers. “Sunae left on Thursday.”

 

Jooeun whimpered. “It feels like I haven’t talked to them in eons.”

 

“When was the last time you talked to them?” Daesung asked.

 

“This morning.”

 

Daesung reached over and pinched her cheeks but instead of bringing a smile on her face, her frown grew deeper. It caused him to frown.

 

“Well, if you hang out with us, maybe it’ll help you get your mind off of them,” he suggested after staring at her with his sullen face. When she looked up at him, his expression grew bright again. When she shook her head and looked away, the frown returned.

 

He turned his attention away from her and looked back at the television screen. The two began playing once again in silence until it was time for Daesung to go home. As he walked away from Jooeun’s front door, he waved ecstatically. However, she had the same lackadaisical expression and just closed the door when he drove away.

 

* * *

 

Sitting in a corner booth of their favorite restaurant, Seunghyun, Youngbae, Jiyong, and Daesung ate their lunch while discussing their plans for summer vacation. The first subject they stumbled upon was Sunae, Jihyun, and Seungri’s absence and Jooeun’s behavior.

 

“I think she’s taking it worse than Seunghyun and Jiyong,” Daesung pointed out as he dug through his food. Then he lifted his fork and pointed at Youngbae. “She hasn’t called you lately, has she?”

 

Youngbae shook his head. “I try to call her too, but sometimes her line is busy. Other times, she tells me she’ll call me back after she talks to Sunae noona or Jihyun.”

 

“That’s so sad. Youngbae’s being ignored for other girls,” Jiyong pouted playfully as he reached over to pinch his friend in the cheek only to have his hand softly swatted away.

 

“Has noona called you recently, Jiyong?” he asked the other man. When Jiyong shook his head and then dropped his head, he smiled. Across from them, Seunghyun chuckled.

 

“Jihyun calls me every night after she talks to Jooeun,” he informed them, causing Jiyong to throw him an envious glare.

 

“Oh yeah? Well, that’s because she’s a psycho, old news,” he childishly retaliated before crossing his arms and falling back into his seat.

 

“Calm down Jiyong. They’re going to be back soon anyway, so Jooeun should be back to normal after that,” Youngbae considered, patting the younger man on the shoulder.

 

“And you can “talk” to Sunae all you want when she returns,” Daesung added, lifting his hands to impersonate quotes. Still feeling upset about his lack of phone calls from his girlfriend, he growled softly at Daesung before they all finished their meals and left the restaurant.

 

* * *

 

Two days later, they decided to contact Jooeun about their friends’ arrivals, only to find out that she had already left for the airport with her older brother. When they searched for her at the airport, they found her lounging at the terminal with three other figures. They had concluded that the other man with her was her brother and as they got closer, they realized that the other two were Seungri and Jihyun.

 

“I saw her first!” Jooeun cried immediately when she took notice of Seunghyun. Her grip on Jihyun tightened but after Seunghyun pouted at her, she quickly released Jihyun, who began laughing at the younger girl’s actions.

 

“Mom and Dad let us stay behind with Jooeun to wait for noona,” Seungri explained to Daesung and Youngbae, greeting them first. When he got to Jiyong, he clamped his arms around the older man’s waist and wiggled him about. “Oh, hyung! You must have felt so lonely without me! I’m sorry I didn’t call while I was gone!”

 

“We heard Sunae barely called you during her trip,” Jihyun teased.

 

“His ass was probably going to ruin my vacation,” a voice interrupted, catching everyone’s attention. It was Sunae, who was waving at her family as they left her behind to catch up with her friends. “Besides, Jooeun took up all my minutes.”

 

“Yah~~ Unni~” Jooeun squealed out of happiness as she clamped her arms around the older woman just as Seungri had done with Jiyong. “Jihyun bought me clothes. What did you get me from the States?”

 

“Don’t worry, Jooeun. I got you everything you asked for,” Sunae sighed, shaking her head hopelessly. “You reminded us like, every phone call.”

 

“That’s why you were always calling them?” Jiyong cried out. “That’s the only reason?”

 

“Well, I missed them too,” she replied firmly before turning her attention back to the two older girls again and hugged them once more.

 

“고마워요 언니들~ 사랑해요~”


	7. big red

 

“Jihyun, Jihyun!” Jooeun cried out after school. The girl had darted out of her classroom as fast as she could, her lips heavy with exciting news. When she found her friend digging through her locker, she shook her hands excitedly until Jihyun turned to face her.

 

“What is it?” Jihyun questioned curiously as she observed her friend’s odd behavior.

 

“I think Youngbae asked me out, I don’t know,” she spilled breathlessly with a determined grin. “I mean, we were just playing around at first and then he got all quiet and he started muttering and blushing and stuff.”

 

“You think so? What did you say?” Jihyun asked with her own grin.

 

“Um, I said yes,” the younger girl answered shyly.

 

Satisfied with her friend’s answer, Jihyun closed her locker and lunged for her to hug her, but immediately, Jooeun jumped away and started walking out into the parking lot. Jihyun was able to catch up with her pretty quickly and wrap her arms on her shoulders.

 

“Our little virgin’s finally going to get laid!” Jihyun teased, tugging at Jooeun’s cheeks. Her hand was quickly swatted away.

 

“Don’t talk about me like that!” she protested.

 

“Tch, I was talking about Youngbae, you whore.”

 

Jooeun then frowned. She started to ignore Jihyun, who retaliated by trying her best to make the younger girl laugh, but once they made it to the parking lot, both of their attentions were diverted by a big red Chevy Silverado sitting in the usual parking spot they would find Daesung’s old pickup truck.

 

“Where did you steal this beast, Daesung?” Jooeun fired immediately when they found the owner of the new vehicle sitting at the back, waiting for them.

 

“I worked for it,” Daesung replied proudly as he puffed out his chest.

 

“Oh, is that why you never had time for us anymore? You ignored your friends so you could get a new truck?” Jihyun pouted playfully as she followed Jooeun around the truck to inspect it.

 

“Hey. I bought it for us,” Daesung stated simply as he directed his pointer finger at her.

 

“Ah, oppa!” Jooeun squealed femininely as she hugged the older man. “You really do care about us~ Come on, let’s ditch Seungri so he doesn’t ruin your new car smell with his B.O.”

 

“He’s coming,” Daesung pointed out as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

 

When Jihyun and Jooeun looked back to find the boy running towards the vehicle, they scrambled to get into the cab with Daesung. Although they succeeded in locking Seungri out, they finally opened the door for him and went home.

 

* * *

 

The next week, Jihyun waited patiently for Jooeun to arrive to class. She was informed that the past Friday was the day that Jooeun and Youngbae would be going out for their date. Her hands started drumming against her desk as she waited and waited and when she finally arrived, Jihyun threw her body over her desk and beckoned for her.

 

“Spill every single detail, Jooeun!” she ordered her, earning a confused look from Jooeun.

 

“What are you talking about?” Jooeun asked.

 

“I’m talking about the date on Friday with Youngbae?” Jihyun replied in a questioning voice. When Jooeun’s face fell, she tilted her eyebrows suspiciously.

 

“We decided on a rain check,” Jooeun answered quickly as she rushed to her desk on the opposite side of the room.

 

Jihyun didn’t get it. Her friend had been waiting for the moment that Youngbae took a step forward and when he finally does, she decides to take two steps back. What reason would she have to call for a rain check?

 

Her answer came in an incomprehensible mutter.

 

“Come again?”

 

“Daesung was driving me around,” Jooeun confessed guiltily, avoiding eye contact with Jihyun. Suddenly, she understood the girl’s actions.

 

“I can’t believe you could snub Youngbae like that for a truck,” she laughed in disbelief. “You should definitely apologize to him.”

 

“I did apologize!”

 

“Did you apologize for lying to him?”

 

Just then, the teacher came into the room and ordered everyone to take their seats. Jihyun cast her friend one last glance before returning to her seat. From the other side of the room, she watched Jooeun with a remorseful look on her face.

 

* * *

 

As the dismissal bell rang, Jooeun made her way to the school parking lot just like she always did with Jihyun and Seungri. Both Seungri and Jihyun had to talk to a few teachers after school so she went to meet up with Daesung by herself. She found him lying in the truck’s bed, his jacket covering his face.

 

“Daesung~?” Jooeun cooed softly as she climbed onto the truck and crawled next to him. She reached over him to pull his jacket away, but the moment she laid hands on the jacket, Daesung’s hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. She jerked back and screamed. “Daesung!”

 

He laughed at her terrified reaction and sat up, grinning at her innocently once she recovered.

 

“Sorry Jooeun~” he apologized as he pushed his lips out and pouted.

 

“Whatever, just move over. You’re taking up all the room,” she sulked, shoving him softly.

 

“There’s enough room for you and me, baby,” he chuckled suggestively.

 

He leaned towards her and wiggled his eyebrows as if he was attempting to seduce her. In return, she stuck her tongue out at him and pushed him away.

 

“Are you going to go with us to the beach this weekend?” he asked quickly to change the subject.

 

“Yes, sir. I’m going to ride with you,” she stated without even bothering to ask for his consent. She knew he would say yes anyway.

 

“Youngbae’s going to get a ride from me too,” he informed her nonchalantly.

 

Just as he expected, Jooeun dropped her jaw briefly before quickly recovering and becoming intensely quiet. He just watched her with an amused look on his face until Jihyun and Seungri showed up. As the twins greeted them, Jooeun immediately hopped out of the back of the truck and made her way to the front passenger seat. While the trio followed Jooeun to the cab, Jihyun shot a questioning look at Daesung, who merely responded with a bright grin. She caught on quickly.

 

“We’re going to the beach.”

 

* * *

 

“Did you apologize to Youngbae yet~?” Jihyun asked after trudging across the sandy beach to where her brother and Jooeun were sitting. Before Jihyun had decided to pounce on the younger girl from behind, Jooeun had been happily building a sand castle with Seungri as they waited for the right time to get into the water and because she startled Jooeun, it resulted with a ruined sand castle. While Jooeun brooded over their work, Seungri looked up at his sister curiously.

 

“What for?” he asked.

 

“Youngbae finally asked her out on a date for Friday but she decided to back out last minute just to drive around with Daesung,” Jihyun informed him quickly before Jooeun could interrupt her.

 

A sharp gasp escaped Seungri’s lungs. “Daesung and I were supposed to watch a movie then!”

 

Jihyun rolled her eyes and returned her focus back to Jooeun only to watch her be carried away on Daesung’s shoulders. The scene caused her to break out into laughter until the moment the older boy had entered the water and tossed Jooeun. The moment she emerged from the salty waters, Jihyun knew that she didn’t enjoy being tossed as much as everyone else did.

 

She was frowning and the moment Daesung reached for her to help her, she pushed him away.

 

“I’m okay, it’s just my elbow. I landed wrong,” Jooeun muttered as she kept her eyes on her elbow. She stood up and avoided eye contact with anyone else. “I’ll go to the truck and get the first aid kit.”

 

Dripping wet in her clothes, she trudged swiftly across the beach and declined any more offers of help from her friends. Daesung scratched the back of his head with wonder until he looked at Youngbae.

 

“Ah, hyung!” he called out to the older man. “The first aid kit is in your backpack. You should go tell Jooeun before she goes crazy looking for it.”

 

“I thought it was in your backpack,” Youngbae responded obliviously.

 

Daesung shook his head fervently. “No, I asked you to carry it, remember?”

 

“Are you sure? Alright,” Youngbae muttered skeptically before finally jogging after Jooeun. He found her sitting in the back of the truck with, to his surprise, Daesung’s backpack, which held the first aid kit. “Daesung lied to me.”

 

“Yeah?” Jooeun questioned nervously as she picked through the contents of the kit with her unwounded arm.

 

“He told me that the first aid kit was in my backpack,” he explained briefly before climbing into the bed next to Jooeun. He watched her struggle with one hand and tilted his head nervously. “Do you want me to help you with that?”

 

Jooeun continued to struggle on her own to give it a thought and finally, she looked up at him and nodded. He smiled at her for a moment before waving his hand at her.

 

“You lied to me, do it yourself,” Youngbae scoffed playfully.

 

“Ah, okay, thanks,” Jooeun breathed in disbelief before bowing her head again. She was smiling, but a little uneasily. “How’d you find out?”

 

“Daesung,” he confessed. He began to pick at the fabric of his shirt. “If you weren’t interested, you could have just told me in the first place.”

 

“I am interested!” she blurted out. In her rush, she shot out her injured arm out but immediately pulled it close to her body. She hissed inwardly as her face flushed at the content of her words. “I mean... I’m sorry for lying to you.”

 

“It’s alright. I’m already aware of how fickle children can get,” he continued to joke.

 

“Stop it,” Jooeun pouted dejectedly while she returned to tending to her injury.

 

He quieted down and watched her again before finally stretching his arm out. “I’ll help you with that,” he said firmly without waiting for an answer. Obedient, she didn’t refuse his offer and smiled.

 

Growing comfortable with one another once again, Youngbae and Jooeun remained in Daesung’s big red truck until the end of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote 7 out of 21 pieces in our little series  
> this is the last one after everyone got burnt out  
> so sado

**Author's Note:**

> This was a collaborative work I did with two other friends! There are a lot more entries in this titled work, but I'm only posting the ones I wrote. Don't wanna bother with asking my friends if I could post their writing because I'm shy. LOL.


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